Our top picks of exhibitions together with cultural spaces and places, both online and in the real world.

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Viewing Ming Smith: A Dream Deferred

The Wick Culture - Freedom by Ming Smith

Above Freedom by Ming Smith

The Wick Culture - David Murray in the Wings, by Ming Smith, Padova, Italy, 1978

Above David Murray in the Wings, by Ming Smith, Padova, Italy, 1978

The Wick Culture - Setting the Stage by Ming Smith, Harlem, New York

Above Setting the Stage by Ming Smith, Harlem, New York

Above Freedom by Ming Smith

Above David Murray in the Wings, by Ming Smith, Padova, Italy, 1978

Above Setting the Stage by Ming Smith, Harlem, New York

18 March – 30 April 2022
Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London
https://www.houldsworth.co.uk/exhibitions/

Over the past six decades, the African American photographer Ming Smith has captured life in Africa and its diaspora to dazzling effect. By experimenting with blur, double exposure, collage and hand tinting, she imbues her images with an otherworldly feel that makes it difficult to look away.

Smith’s first solo exhibition in the UK features a selection of rare, vintage prints from her Invisible Man series (1988-1991) and previously unseen hand-painted photographs. Also on display are key photographs from the 1970s and 80s showing her varied experiences from her travels across America. You’ll see everything from the jazz clubs of New York and charged protests in Harlem to fairground goers in her home state of Ohio.

With such a variety of images on display, it is a rare opportunity to celebrate an artist of remarkable talent.

Viewing The Other Art Fair London

The Wick Culture - Helena Cardow, An offering, 2021

Above Helena Cardow, An offering, 2021

The Wick Culture - Linda Khatri, Synchronicity, 2021

Above Linda Khatri, Synchronicity, 2021

The Wick Culture - Churning Curds Series, Chocolate Nipple Spread, 2006

Above Churning Curds Series, Chocolate Nipple Spread, 2006

The Wick Culture - Anil Mistry, In the City, 2021

Above Anil Mistry, In the City, 2021

Above Helena Cardow, An offering, 2021

Above Linda Khatri, Synchronicity, 2021

Above Churning Curds Series, Chocolate Nipple Spread, 2006

Above Anil Mistry, In the City, 2021

17–20 March 2022
The Old Truman Brewery, London
https://www.theotherartfair.com/london/

If you want to start a savvy art collection, look no further than The Other Art Fair, the leading artist fair to discover and buy art directly from emerging artistic talent.

The forthcoming edition at The Old Truman Brewery features around 150 artists, including Emily Kirby, Dawn Beckles and Alex McIntyre, working in a variety of styles and media. Elsewhere, you’ll see selected works by guest artist Chila Kumari Singh Burman of 2020 Tate Britain Winter Commission fame and Matt Jukes’s Feelscape, an immersive installation which uses AI to capture visitors’ emotions as they walk around the fair. Then there’s the exhibition of work by Sara David and Josh Scurville, the fair’s New Future winners.

Make sure to check out the accompanying events programme too. From embroidery and knitting workshops to a curated exhibition centred on textiles, The Other Art Fair has something for everyone. Head down there on the opening night to enjoy music by Nzinga Sounds, cocktail in hand.

Viewing Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear

The Wick Culture - Wales Bonner Spring Summer 2015 Afrique. Photo Dexter Lander

Above Wales Bonner Spring Summer 2015 Afrique. Photo Dexter Lander

The Wick Culture - Installation view of Fashioning Masculinities at V&A, featuring Randi Rahm look worn by Billy Porter (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Above Installation view of Fashioning Masculinities at V&A, featuring Randi Rahm look worn by Billy Porter (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Wick Culture - Installation view of Fashioning Masculinities at V&A (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Above Installation view of Fashioning Masculinities at V&A (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Above Wales Bonner Spring Summer 2015 Afrique. Photo Dexter Lander

Above Installation view of Fashioning Masculinities at V&A, featuring Randi Rahm look worn by Billy Porter (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Above Installation view of Fashioning Masculinities at V&A (c) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

19 March — 6 November 2022
The V&A, London
https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/fashioning-masculinities-the-art-of-menswear

Landing at the V&A this month is the museum’s first major exhibition celebrating the power, artistry and diversity of masculine attire and appearance. Through around 100 historical and contemporary looks and 100 artworks, displayed thematically across three galleries, it traces how menswear has been fashioned and refashioned over the centuries. It will also explore how designers, tailors and artists, as well as their clients and sitters, have constructed and performed masculinity across the ages.

Shown alongside classical sculptures, Renaissance paintings and iconic photographs from the V&A’s own collection will be historical and contemporary looks by the likes of Harris Reed, Grace Wales Bonner and Raf Simons. Also on display will be a film of Matthew Bourne’s Spitfire (1988) performed by New Adventures dancers, which takes place in the world of men’s underwear advertising and mail order catalogue photography.

‘Rather than a linear or definitive history, this is a journey across time and gender,’ explains co-curator Claire Wilcox. ‘This will be a celebration of the masculine wardrobe, and everyone is invited to join in.’ Book your tickets now.